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| Summer 2002 | ||
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| INTEC's Expanded Perth Office |
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In June 2002, INTEC took a major step in growing its Australian presence with a major expansion of the Perth office. Since 1999, INTEC's level of activity in Australia had slowly increased, but a breakthrough occurred when Steve Hindmarsh and several of his colleagues recently joined our ranks there. Steve managed the former operation for Kvaerner E&C Australia Oil and Gas in Perth.
INTEC welcomes this talented team of engineers and support staff, and feel fortunate to have been able to make this strategic move. Over the past two years we have expanded our operations in the UK and South America with the acquisition of Fuel Subsea Engineering and ARCAN Ingenieria respectively. This timely addition supports our growth in the Austral-Asian region. These expansions provide INTEC with a stronger geographical presence from which to serve our international and local clients, and channel INTEC's global expertise.
The Perth office will be part of the Austral-Asian region led by Indu Mahendran based in Kuala Lumpur. A warm welcome to our new team members in Perth! |
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In a short period, several significant contracts have been awarded to INTEC Australia incuding Apache, BPH, and ChevronTexaco. Additional personnel have been recruited so that our ranks in Perth have grown by more than 20 staff. Steve Hindmarsh will be supported by a management team consisting of Martyn Witton, Richard Johnson, Poul-Erik Christiansen and Brandon Hughes. This quantum leap will enable us to take on more significant tasks for our Australian and Southeast Asian Clients in the specialized INTEC disciplines of marine pipelines, floating production and subsea systems.
It is the intent that the offices in Perth and KL share resources and knowledge in order to provide the best possible services at competitive terms. Perth has many attractions and we will have little difficulty finding candidates for project assignments there to complement the considerable local talent. As of July 10, 2002 INTEC Australia has relocated to a new office at 190 St. George's Terrace which has been equipped and will tie into the global INTEC information and knowledge management network so that the Perth office can take advantage of the combined expertise throughout the INTEC Group.
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| Austral-Asia Project Updates |
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India
Oil and Natural Gas Company (ONGC) of India awarded INTEC their first FEED study on a deepwater subsea development. The work was carried out in Kuala Lumpur with the assistance of six senior engineering experts from ONGC working with the INTEC project team led by Richard Johnson and Ganesan Anurudran. The new relationship will enable INTEC to be a part of future deepwater activities undertaken by ONGC.
Malaysia
Recently completed marine pipeline projects for Petronas Carigali include Kinarut, Baram South, Baram Bokor and Angsi. These projects were performed under the umbrella contract with Malaysian Mining Corporation (MMC) and Ranhill Worley. The INTEC teams were led by T. Mohanadasan, Suhaimi Ismail and Alipudin Majid. Devon Energy (formerly known as Santa Fe) contracted INTEC to complete a mooring analysis for the Betara Field FSO. The work was carried out by the Naval Architecture team in Kuala Lumpur led by Alan Hill, using the AQWA suite of programs.
Sri Lanka
Based on our experience with Marine Terminals, INTEC has also been awarded engineering and project management contracts with Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC). The scope includes an SPM, and an 18-inch diameter, 6 km pipeline to import crude oil for the CPC refinery in Muthurajawela. The engineering is completed and INTEC is supervising the procurement work. Installation will be performed by Leighton Contractors of Malaysia in early 2003. INTEC was awarded a contract to investigate the integrity of the Main Oil Line serving the Lubricants Terminal of Chevron-Texaco (Caltex) in Colombo. INTEC recommended and is currently managing the rehabilitation of the pipeline.
China
The Maoming SPM facility will connect to onshore facilities via a 48-inch diameter pipeline. The SPM will be designed to accommodate Very Large Crude Carriers (VLCC) tankers of 300,000 DWT, and is located in approximately 25 meter water depth. The SPM and pipeline system have been designed to meet the requirements of offloading 2 million barrels of oil per offload within a 45 hour offloading time. The SPM is a Catenary Anchor Leg Mooring (CALM) type buoy with six-leg radial anchor legs. The PLEM consists of a steel structure, which supports the subsea piping system and associated valve fittings and underbuoy hoses.
Australia
Recently completed work includes: Santos Petrel-Tern, Kerr McGee Lease studies and Duke Energy IMR studies. The above project teams are/were led by Martyn Witton, Maziar Delafkaren, Richard Johnson , Poul Erik Christiansen and David Raby. |
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Both pipelines will be connected at their deep ends to the Marco Polo TLP in GC 608 in water depth of 4,300 ft, by 12-inch oil and 18-inch gas Steel Catenary Risers. The length of the oil export pipeline is approximately 35 miles and will be connected at its shallow end to the Allegheny Pipeline System in water depth of 2,800 ft. The gas pipeline is about 75 miles long and changes diameter half way from 18 to 20-inch and at its shallow end will be connected to the Typhoon Pipeline System in water depth of 1,700 ft.
There are 500 DMaC connections in these fields with the numbers increasing each year. The Schiehallion Phase 3 scope of work includes production manifolds, water injection manifolds, x-mas trees and ancillary structures, adding an additional 30 flowline and 35 umbilical DMaC connections to this project.
In 1993, he moved into full time business development with KBR's offshore group with assignments in London, Aberdeen and Houston. Jim developed global BD processes and conducted training for over 1,000 people around the world while participating in winning such projects as Schiehallion, ETAP, Terra Nova and Kizomba FEED. Jim has been both a client account manager and a product manager for FPSO's.
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| A Note from the President | ||
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What Were They Thinking?
On a recent Sunday, a barge tow hit the supports of a bridge across the Arkansas River in Oklahoma causing two bridge spans to collapse, resulting in 14 casualties.
What is going on here? Doesn't it seem logical that when a bridge crosses a navigable stream, there may actually be ships or barges navigating, and these may not always stay in the assigned channel? |
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So here's my question: What Were They Thinking? Did the designers in all the cited examples have their brain engaged when designing these bridges? Was the budget cut so the protective structure was eliminated? Did the code not say anything about marine traffic? Did the contractor build something cheaper and was not challenged? I don't know the answers, but what I do know is that there was some very shoddy and irresponsible engineering work done on these projects.
In our industry there is a lot of emphasis on safety during construction, avoidance of lost time accidents, and environmental impact. Any of these bridge projects may have been a success in this regard, but if we manage to build a bridge without accidents or damage to the environment, only to see it collapse and kill people in what should have been a reasonably predictable accident, we have failed as engineering professionals. While all the safety policies and procedures, training, and reviews are very important, there is no reason not to keep our professional brain engaged. That way nobody will wonder later: (What) Were They Thinking? By the way, the above is but a short list of the most attention grabbing accidents; there are many others and the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board has recommended in each case that safety assessments be conducted of existing bridges, design standards for new bridges be tightened, and marine operators be better equipped and trained. These recommendations were made ten years ago and are being repeated each time there is another accident. It clearly hasn't had the desired effect as these actions would have to be undertaken by other budget-limited government agencies. However, I think that what we need is for engineering professionals to take their role seriously, design something that will withstand every reasonably conceivable situation, and refuse to allow corners to be cut during construction. It saves lives!
W. J. Timmermans |
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When I read this, it sounded like this type of thing had happened before, so I checked some records. In September, 2001 a barge tow hit the supports of the Queen Isabella Causeway Bridge across the Intra-coastal Waterway near Corpus Christi causing it to collapse and leading to the death of 4 people. In September 1993, a barge tow collided with a railroad bridge in Alabama in dense fog, displacing the track; eight minutes later the passing Sunset Limited train from Los Angeles to Miami derailed and locomotives as well as a sleeper and two passenger cars fell into the water, causing the death of 42 passengers and 5 crewmembers. In May of that year a barge tow had struck the pilings of the Judge William Seeber Bridge in New Orleans causing two spans to fall into the water and onto the barge. One person died and several were injured.
Steering and propulsion problems, poor visibility and operator error can cause unintended interference, so a potential collision with a bridge support would seem a logical, normal design condition. We can decide to put the support in shallow water or on a little island or large base, so a vessel will ground or hit something immovable and be stopped before impacting the bridge support. We can place a protective structure around the support so an oncoming vessel will be deflected. None of this is innovative; the Romans already knew how to do it.
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| Kuala Lumpur: The Place To Be |
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In 1993, INTEC established its presence in Asia and Kuala Lumpur was selected as The Place To Be. Kuala Lumpur (KL), is Malaysia's capital and is the fastest growing city in Asia.
Looking out the INTEC office, you see the most outstanding achievement of Malaysia, the tallest building in the world - The PETRONAS Twin Towers. These 88-story towers dominate KL's skyline, and house the offices of the national petroleum company, PETRONAS, and several other multi-national companies. The towers are joined at the 41st and 42nd floors by a double-decker sky-bridge linking the two sky lobbies and facilitating the movement between the two towers (for those Hollywood trivia enthusiasts - the movie "Entrapment" with Sean Connery was filmed in these buildings.) Step out the door and you will quickly find a change of scenery - the public park. The park has shaded rest areas beneath the lush greenery, public recreational open spaces, landscaped gardens and soothing water features. This setting helps dissipate the tensions of city living and relaxes the mind.
A fifteen minute walk from the INTEC office is the KL communication tower, the tallest in Asia and the fourth tallest in the world. It's a striking addition to the KL skyline and is the best lookout from which to piece together different parts of the city and its surroundings.
To escape the busy city life, you can drive north, where limestone peaks rise up out of the forest. This is Batu Caves - one of the most popular attractions around KL. There are 272-steps to climb to the top of the cave where dozens of multi-colored statues of deities reside portraying scenes from the Hindu scriptures.
While there are many exciting things to do in KL, you can't forget about the food. It's one of the best reasons to come to Malaysia (while I'm writing this, I'm starting to feel homesick!). Malaysian cuisine is a taste of heaven on earth. Delicious food in generous portions is served everywhere. Malaysia's cuisines are inspired by the heritage of the three main communities, Malay, Chinese and Indian, although international cuisine such as Italian, Japanese, Thai, Korean and many others are becoming more popular.
The INTEC office in KL covers a large region including Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka, Vietnam, Thailand, Philippine, Indonesia, China, Japan, Korea and to the south we have Australia and New Zealand, which is covered by INTEC's Perth office. Engineering design and construction management of shallow water (less than 300m) pipelines, risers and terminals have been INTEC's core activities in the KL office. However, our capabilities are beyond these and we are continuously seeking opportunities in deepwater field development, subsea and FPSO projects.
Well, we miss home, family and friends and we look forward to returning home, but until then, we can only think about the nice things in Kuala Lumpur, The Place To Be.
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KL, located in the west coast of Malaysia, has grown from a muddy estuary to a modern, busy city with over a million people. Modern skyscrapers stand next to rows of quaint old shop-houses, luxury world class hotels and prestigious shopping malls. KL is also the social and economic driving force of a nation eager to better itself, a fact reflected in the growing number of designer bars and restaurants, and in the booming manufacturing industries surrounding it. This is a city firmly rooted with tradition, where the same Malaysian executives who wear suits to work, dress in traditional clothes at festival times. Although the city is changing quickly, life on the busy streets still has a spontaneous feel, with markets and food stalls crowded in amongst new banks and businesses. The local weather is warm and sunny all year so you're going to have a tropical paradise whenever you visit.
Another 3.5 hour drive north along the west coast is the first British settlement, the island of Penang, also known as "Pearl of the Orient" (my home town). Half way to Penang, are the hill resorts of Fraser's Hill and Cameron Highlands for a taste of Old England where cooler temperatures and lush countryside provide ample opportunities for walks, a round of golf and afternoon tea. Less than 2 hours drive south of KL, is the birthplace of Malay civilization, Melaka. The city was conquered in the early sixteenth century by the Portuguese, marking the start of centuries of colonial rule in Malaysia. The Dutch and British followed the Portuguese into Melaka. British colonialism was an essential part of the eighteenth and nineteenth century development of Malaysia. Travel to the east coast of the Peninsula (4 hour drive from KL) and you'll witness a different type of culture. The beaches and coral reefs are the greatest attraction for snorkeling and diving on three of the most beautiful islands in the South China Sea; Pulau Perhentian, Pulau Redang and Pulau Kapas.
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| KSaipuru and Taquiperenda Compressor Stations in Bolivia |
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The Saipuru and Taquiperenda Project is part of an EPC contract to enlarge the transport capacity of one of the natural gas pipelines operated by TRANSREDES S.A., the largest pipeline operator in Bolivia. The aim is to increase the capacity of the Saipuru Compression Station and to build a new compression station at Taquiperenda. TRANSREDES S.A. is a consortium of Enron, Shell and the Bolivian Government.
Saipuru
Taquiperenda
Provision and construction by INTEC/ARCAN include: startup gas and fuel gas skids for the compressors and generators, upstream scrapper facilities, compressed air system, lubricant oil system, plant lighting, piping, electrical and instrumentation networks, etc. The scope of work also includes: full layout and earth moving works, civil works, related miscellaneous jobs and facilities such as, control room, staff accommodation quarters, pavement, water well and effluent treatment plant. The SCADA system, testing, commissioning and start-up will be the responsibility of the joint venture. Supply of all components and materials except the turbo compressors are part of the procurement activities by INTEC/ARCAN.
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The EPC contract was awarded to a joint venture formed by the Bolivian affiliate of INTEC Engineering/ARCAN Construcciones, Contreras Hermanos, and local contractor Kaiser. INTEC/ARCAN's, Buenos Aires office has performed all engineering of modifications to the Saipuru Station and full engineering for the Taquiperenda station, with a projected completion date for both stations of July 31, 2002.
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Silvia Brierley - Employee of the Quarter
Along with the Fuel Subsea Engineering Team, Silvia joined INTEC on January 1, 2002. Silvia has been the Administration Manager since joining Fuel in September 2000. The Administration Manager position could also be called the "Manager of Everything". Silvia's responsibilities included accounts, personnel, secretarial services, building services and everything that is not someone else's responsibility. With the major renovations that have taken place in the Woking office over the past 6 months, Silvia has also coordinated window fitters, electricians, plasterers, painters, carpenters, furniture removers, and carpet layers as well as air conditioning engineers. The INTEC acquisition of Fuel and the administrative changes associated with it occurred during renovation, but due to Silvia's hard work, the office still ran smoothly.
Since the acquisition, Silvia remains responsible for the administration of the INTEC UK office but her emphasis is now on Human Resource management. This is a natural niche for Silvia who ran her own HR Consultancy in South Africa before joining Fuel. Silvia was born in Cape Town, South Africa into a musical family. Five of the eight children played together in a musical group from a young age, with Silvia as one of the group's piano accordionists. Silvia studied classical piano in school and taught piano and music at a secondary school in South Africa. It was only after this adventure that she channelled her career towards Administration and HR. After a 2-week trip to the UK in early 2000, Silvia and her husband Steve decided to settle in England where Steve manages the operations for a telecommunications company, responsible for Europe, Middle East and Africa regions. Their son Richard, is currently studying Electrical Engineering in the UK, whilst daughter Jennifer, already well versed in the UK ways, is currently in her first year of GCSE's. |
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Sixty INTEC employees and guests signed up for this year's sailing event featuring 4 privately owned boats and 6 chartered boats. Several INTEC employees from around the globe participated, including Martin Bruins who put his trophy from last year on the line. The weather turned out perfectly for the race with temperatures in the mid-80's and wind 12-15 knots.
The route follows a 35-mile unused railway line, which is described as "on the whole level and almost completely off road". Unfortunately, it had been raining heavily for several days prior to the ride. The team hit the trail early in the morning, and just under five hours later crossed the finish line. They were soaked to the skin, covered in mud and all relieved to have finished. It had been a hard slog, with only a few minor mishaps.
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| INTEC Engineering, Inc. Intercontinental Building 15600 JFK Boulevard, 9th Floor Houston, TX 77032, USA tel: (281) 987-0800 Primary Fax: (281) 987-3838 Admin Fax: (281) 987-2002 e-mail: info@intec-hou.com |
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INTEC Engineering (SEA) SDN. BHD. Suite 12.2, 12th Floor Menara Aik Hua Changkat Raja Chulan 50200 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Tel: +60 (3) 202-2488 Fax: +60 (3) 202-3488 e-mail: info@intec-mal.com.my |
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INTEC Engineering B.V. Poortweg 14 2612 PA Delft, The Netherlands P.O. Box 3178 2601 DD Delft, The Netherlands tel: +31 (15) 256-5675 FAX: +31 (015) 256-0194 email: info@intec-delft.com |
| INTEC Engineering S.R.L. Lavalle #465 Planta Baja 1047, Buenos Aires Argentina tel: +54 (1) 14 327-4120 FAX: +54 (1) 14 327-4121 email: info@intec-hou.com |
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INTEC-egis Adelaide House 200, Adelaide Terrace Perth, Western Australia 6000 tel: + 61 (8) 9220 9374 FAX: + 61 (8) 9325 9897 email: info@intec-hou.com |